Great Barrington —From Corvettes to Cadillacs, from old and rusty antique trucks to super-fast hot rods, there were plenty of automobiles everywhere in the downtown area during the Great Barrington Fire Department’s annual car show on Thursday, Aug. 1.
The 15th annual car show is a benefit for the department’s scholarship fund.
The fund is dedicated to Rod Mead, who died in 2005. Mead was a retired member of the fire department, and he was also the president and CEO of S&A Supply.
By press time, it was not known how much was raised at this year’s show and how many people took part in it.
However, Main and Railroad Streets were jammed with cars and car enthusiasts throughout the afternoon.
“It’s a great show, and people just love cars,” Great Barrington Fire Department member Joe Bozza said. “We keep having many people here because people are always in love with their cars. Someone once said that a classic car is a memory akin to one’s first kiss. It invokes beautiful memories for people.”
“I can’t speak for everybody, but I think these car shows are popular because everybody likes being part of a community,” Frank Martel from Winchester, Conn. said. Martel brought his 2014 Dodge Challenger to the show. “We’re all here for a good time,” Martel said. “It doesn’t matter what year, shape, or size of your car. We all just here to have fun and get together.”
“Classic cars have have habit of getting into your blood,” Paul Batacchi, from Ashley Falls said. Batacchi brought his 1968 1968 Chevrolet El Camino to the show. “At a very young age I worked on cars, and my father had a trucking company,” Batacchi said. “We would work on trucks together. Once you do that all of your life, it all becomes second nature.”
Tom Cavanaugh from Great Barrington brought his 1940 Ford pickup truck to the show. “What do I like about classic cars? I don’t have to wipe them off,” Cavanaugh said. “There is a lot of camaraderie at these shows.”
“These cars all brings you back to when driving was fun,” Armand Ferron, from Great Barrington, said. Ferron brought his 1965 Corvette Stingray to the show “Does it make me feel like a kid again when I drive it? No. I’m just an old man breaking the speed limit.”
